The cover-up looks more like a Mexican lucha libre wrestling mask or something sported by members of Russia’s Pussy Riot, but Chinese women are using it to protect their complexions against jelly fish and the sun — and probably polluted water full of algae blooms.

Beach goers in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao have taken in a big way to the swimwear, which covers the head, with holes for the eyes, nose and mouth.

The facekinis are available in a variety of Day-Glo colours — turquoise and pink are popular. They are frequently accessorized with stretchy one-piece swimsuits that cover wearers from neck to ankle.

The headgear’s sudden rise to fame has been greeted with amusement by young social media users in China, who typically associate the practical product with “old women” and the traditional view that pale skin is “more beautiful,” The Daily Telegraph reports.

In fact, the opposite is increasingly true, with tanning salons popping up all over China’s cities and fashion magazines often choosing bronzed models who are perceived to have travelled the world.

On Weibo. the Chinese version of Twitter, people joked “Chinese old women are at the centre of the global fashion world” and “It looks like bank robbers are raiding the beach.”

The facekini is thought to have been invented by Zhang Shifan, a 58-year-old Qingdao local, who created the “underwear hat” to protect against the nipping of sea crabs.

The facekini has also been taken up by western fashionistas.

The New York-based magazine CR Fashion Book, which is edited by the former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld, has a spread titled “Masking in the Sun: A hidden retreat in this season’s swimwear.”

The images show models wearing patterned facekinis, accessorized with swimsuits, jewelry and high heels.